Cultivator.



[Illlllllllllllllllfll B. B. FITZGERALD.

' GULTIVATOR.

'. APPLIOATION IILED FEB. 8, 1909.

Patented Sept. 28, 1909.

' 2 sums-Purim 1.

um cm. VBOYO-LITHOGRAPHER5. wasnmuwn n c EDMOND B. FITZGERALD, OFROSEDALE, MISSISSIPPI.

CULTIVATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 28, 1999.

Application filed February 8, 1909. Serial No. 476,726.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDMOND B. Frrz- GERALD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rosedale, in the county of Bolivar and State ofMississippi, have invented a new and useful Cultivator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention has relation to cultivators, and it consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of its parts, as hereinafter shown anddescribed.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple and an effectivecultivator in which the cultivator beams are of peculiar configuration,and means is provided for adjusting the same vertically, whereby theshovels may be caused to operate at any desired distance below thesurface of the soil. The means for adjusting the beams vertically is ofpeculiar configuration and the shovels carried by the cultivator areheld against their work under spring tension, which springs are alsomounted in a peculiar and an effective manner, as will hereinafterappear.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view of thecultivator. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an endelevation of a portion of the cultivator.

The cultivator consists of the axle 1,which is mounted at its ends uponthe supporting wheels 2. A frame 3 is mounted upon the axle 1, and theseat support A is mounted at the rear portion of the said frame. A seat5 is mounted upon the said seat support. A tongue 6 is pivoted at itsrear end portion to the forward portion of the frame 3.

The beams 7 are pivotally connected at their forward ends with theforward portion of the frame 6 at a point behind that point thereof withwhich the tongue 3 connects. The forward ends of the beams 7 are upwardly curved, and the said beams are preferably made from sheet metal,which are twisted from horizontal planes at their rear portions intovertical planes at their forward ends, which forward end portions arepivoted, as above stated, to the frame, and are located against thesides of the same. The rear ends of the beams 7 diverge away from eachother, and are provided, at suit able intervals, with perforations S.The standards 9 are provided at their upper ends with the shanks 10,which pass through the perforations 8, and which are secured therein bymeans of the nuts 11, screw-threaded upon the upper ends of the saidshanks. Shovel-points 12, of the usual configuration, are attached tothe lower portions of the standards 9. The bearings 11 and 12 are fixedto the forward portion of the frame 3, and are located at opposite sidesof the same. The bearing 11 is provided with a gear segment 18. A crankshaft 14 is journaled at its end portions in the bearings 11 and 12, andis provided adjacent that portion which is journaled in the bearing 11with a squared extremity 15. A lever 16 is fixed to the squared portion15 ofthe shaft 14 and is provided with a spring-actuated pawl 17,adapted to engage the teeth of the segment 13. The shaft 14 is providedat the middle of its crank portion with the spaced flanges 18, which lieupon opposite sides of the guide 19, which is mounted upon the rearportion of the tongue 6. The said guide 19 is approximately U-shaped andis secured at its ends to the said tongue, and is spaced at itsintermediate portion from the upper side of the tongue. It is throughthis space that the intermediate portion of the crank of the shaft 14passes. The rear end portion of the intermediate portion of the guide 19is spaced at a greater distance from the upper side of the tongue 6 thanthe forward end portion of the intermediate portion of the said guide isspaced, in order that the parts may not bind or have a tendency to bind,as the crank portion of the shaft 14: is moved under the said guide, aswill be hereinafter explained.

A yoke 20 is mounted at the rear end of the tongue 6 and is providedwith an intermediate U-shaped portion 21, which lies against the sidesand over the upper edge of the tongue, and is provided with theoutstanding extremities 22. Bolts 23, at their upper end portions, passvertically through the extremities 22 of the yoke 20, and are adjustablysecured therein by means of the pins 24, which are provided upon theupper end portions of the said bolts 23, and which bear against theupper sides of the extremities 22. Collars 25 are mounted upon the lowerportions of the bolts 28, and the coil springs 26 are interposed betweenthe under sides of the extremities 22 of the yoke 20, and the saidcollars 25. The lower ends of the bolts 23 are linked into the eyes 27,

' swung vertically.

which, in turn, are fixedly mounted upon the beams 7 An arch bar 28 isattached at its ends to the rear ends of the beams 7, and issubstantially vertically disposed and lies in front of the intermediateportion of the aXle 1.

From the above description it is obvious that when the lever 16 is swungthat the shaft 14 will be partially rotated, and, inasmuch as theintermediate portion of the said shaft is in contact with the guide 19,the frame 3 which is pivotally connected at its forward end with thetongue 6, will be As the crank portion of the shaft 15 is swung in arearward direction it is by reason of the fact that the intermediateportion of the guide 19 is inclined that there is no tendency to bindbetween the crank portion of the shaft and the interme diate portion ofthe said guide. Thus means is provided for raising and lowering the rearend portion of the tongue 6, with relation to the frame, or conversely,for raising and lowering the rear end portion of the frame with relationto the tongue. As the implement is drawn along the surface of the groundthe rear ends of the beams 7 are held down under the tension of thesprings 26, and, inasmuch as the forward ends of the said beams arepivotally attached to the forward portion of the frame 3, the said beamsmay swing vertically at their rear end portions against the tension ofthe said springs 26. Thus, should the shovels carried by the standardsmounted upon the beams encounter obstructions in the soil, they may rideover the same against the tension of the said springs, but, as soon asthe said obstructions have been passed by the implement, the tension ofthe springs 26 comes into play and forces the beams 7 down in theirnormal position.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. A cultivator comprising a wheel mounted frame, a tongue pivotallyconnected thereto, a crankshaft journaled upon the frame, a guidemounted upon the tongue and receiving the intermediate portion of thecrank shaft, beams pivotally attached to the frame, a yoke mounted uponthe tongue, resilient connections between the yoke and the beam, and anarch member connecting the rear end portions of the beams together.

2. A cultivator comprising a wheel mounted frame, a tongue pivotallyattached thereto, a shaft journaled upon the frame and having a crankportion which lies over the tongue, a guide mounted upon the tongue andreceiving the crank of said shaft, beams pivotally attached to theframe, a yoke mounted upon the tongue, resilient means interposedbetween said yoke and the beams, and an arch member connecting the rearend portions of the said beams together.

3. A cultivator comprising a wheel mounted frame, a tongue pivotallyattached thereto, a guide having an inclined intermediate portionattached to the tongue, a crank shaft journaled to the frame and havingits crank lying under the inclined portion of the said guide, beamspivotally attached to the frame, a'yoke carried by the tongue, resilientmeans interposed between the yoke and the beams, and an arch memberconnecting the rear end portions of the beams together.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afiiXedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EDMOND B. FITZGERALD.

Vitnesses:

F. I/V. NERRY, B. BRILL.

